This “Safer, Faster Knife Defense” class delivers over 3 hours of critical instruction, including training demonstrations and expert insight for anyone seeking to acquire the mental confidence and physical skills to use a knife for their own protection.

Whether used as a primary defensive tool or secondary “force multiplier,” knives offer unique advantages over other defensive tools, making this one-of-a-kind training well worth the commitment.

From knife selection and mental readiness to physical techniques and practice drills, Safer Faster Knife Defense is one of the most comprehensive presentations on the subject, taught by one of the foremost experts in the field, Alessandro Padovani.

Alessandro is a multi-disciplined personal defense instructor, teaching both armed and unarmed defensive skills as the founder of Safer Faster Defense. A native of Italy, now living in California, Alessandro’s training is sought by private students and professionals worldwide.

Safer Faster Knife Defense includes 13 instructional sessions, teaching both mental preparedness and physical techniques, from mindset and managing fear, to knife grip, stance, carry methods, and targeted knife strikes for quickly ending a violent physical attack. Also included are techniques for non-violent posture when encountering a threat, and knife defense training drills for at-home practice alone or with a training partner.

Plus, three bonus videos provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on the value of knife defense as part of an overall personal defense training plan, as well as an insightful interview with class instructor Alessandro Padovani and an explanation of the defensive training knife used in the production of this class.

More Than a Video Presentation

In addition to the comprehensive information and guided training provided by the video presentation, this class includes a series of printable PDF downloads developed by the instructor to further aid your at-home training efforts. Included are, “Choosing a Knife For Everyday Carry,” detailing physical characteristics to consider for an everyday carry knife, “Training Partners Brief,” offering tips for effective at-home knife defense training, “The Law,” a worksheet to facilitate learning about laws related to carrying and using knives where you live and travel, “Positive Emotional Triggers,” a worksheet designed to help manage fear in a defensive encounter, and “Permission To Do Harm Directive,” a worksheet to build confidence and overcome possible apprehension sometimes experienced by those training in knife defense. These thought-provoking downloads are automatically added to your PDN account when you purchase your class, to further support your ongoing Safer Faster Knife Defense training.

Alessandro Padovani

Alessandro has been practicing Martial Arts since childhood. This passion and quest for better ways to prepare for self-defense brought him to Blauer Tactical Systems, where he became a Personal Defense Readiness Instructor in 2007. He has also taught defensive firearms classes for Delta Firearms Academy and is currently a Combat Focus Shooting and I.C.E. Training instructor and a CrossFit trainer.
He started Safer Faster Defense in 2011. Its mission: through education and training, to give clients the knowledge and tools to stay safe and prepare to prevail in dangerous situations.
In 2012 he finished developing the Safer Faster Knife Defense program which provides a simple and intuitive knife training program that quickly makes students more confident and efficient in deploying and using a knife for personal protection.
Alessandro is also known for the programs he has developed with others: FitShot, which strives to inspire a higher level of fitness in the shooting community, and the Reality Based Training Instructor Development course for civilian firearms instructors.
You can learn more about Safer Faster Knife Defense and contact Alessandro through his website at saferfasterdefense.com.

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Session 2: Gear Selection

34:43

All knives are not created equal. When it comes to choosing a knife to carry for defensive use, there are several important characteristics to consider. This Session compares a variety of fixed blade and folding knife designs, and provides a detailed breakdown of the critical components to consider in selecting a defensive knife, including ergonomics, blade geometry, opening and locking mechanisms, carry method, and more. With what you learn here, you’ll have what you need to select the defensive knife that’s right for you.

Session 3: Knife Grips

5:19

How you grip your defensive knife affects your technique for stopping a threat. It may also affect how you set up, carry and deploy the knife from concealment as well. Alessandro demonstrates three of the most common grip techniques and explains the advantages, disadvantages and application for each grip method.

Session 4: Knife Carry Methods

2:38

This Session addresses important considerations in deciding how and where to carry a defensive knife. The most common method is strong side carry, typically with a folding blade clipped inside a pants pocket. You’ll see other methods to consider and learn why they may be more advantageous in certain applications.

Session 5: Stance

7:38

Contrary to the structured stances used in some competitive fighting techniques, the Safer Faster Knife Defense stance utilizes the body’s natural reaction to a physical attack. Alessandro demonstrates such a reaction and explains how to integrate a knife into this intuitive response, using proper body mechanics to generate power with each defensive strike.

Session 6: The Draw

19:35

Perhaps the most critical component in knife defense is the draw. The style of knife you carry, your method of concealment, your preferred grip all go hand-in-hand with the way in which you draw your knife. Here you’ll learn two typical methods of drawing a knife from concealment, called the Stealth Draw, typically used when a threat is recognized, and Combat Draw, which is used in response to an unknown threat or ambush. Alessandro demonstrates each draw technique and provides a variety of scenarios and examples of situations in which each may be applicable.

Session 7: Non-Violent Posture

14:26

In this Session, Alessandro, with the help of a training partner, demonstrates the use and advantage of taking a prepared but non-violent posture when confronted by an aggressor. Such a stance puts the hands in a non-threatening position, ready to act as a shield to fend off a strike. Additionally, many examples of specific pre-contact cues are discussed and demonstrated. By observing an aggressor’s demeanor and subtle physical movements, pre-emptive action can be taken from a non-violent stance, to stop an attack before it escalates.

Session 8: Tactical Anatomy

17:57

Here you’ll learn the most vulnerable and valuable target areas for stopping an attacker with the use of a knife. Understanding how to damage and disable specific vascular and mechanical targets, like muscles, nerves, and tendons, and how damage to these areas may affect a threat’s ability to continue an attack, can help students design their training and skill development efforts for maximum effectiveness.

Session 9: Defensive Knife Tactics

28:14

This Session brings it all together. Alessandro Padovani works with a training partner to demonstrate a progression of knife tactics, utilizing different strike angles and trajectories, knife grips, slashes and stabs, and focusing on delivering maximum torque and power with each defensive strike. An impact-sensitive training knife is used, emitting light to indicate a significant slash or stab and providing valuable training feedback.

Session 10: Mindset

6:01

Defending one’s self with a knife involves more than physical skill. A person’s confidence in their skills can be negatively affected by the unique emotional aspect of using a knife to incapacitate another human being, even in a defensive context, often eliciting feelings of hesitation or apprehension. This Session addresses this natural reaction and offers tips for mental preparation as part of your defensive knife training practice.

Session 11: Fear Management

13:22

Left unchecked, fear of being harmed by an aggressor can turn to panic, adding to the chaos of a violent attack and resulting in irrational behavior. Instead, training to accept that fear is normal and learning to use fear to our defensive advantage can be empowering. This Session examines the effects of fear and provides ways of preparing for, controlling and managing fear for defensive effectiveness.

Session 12: Hand to Hand Skills

6:01

The principles of the Safer, Faster Knife Defense class, and in particular the Clear, Control, Counter and Closest Weapon to Closest Target drills come together in a fluid hand-to-hand training exercise between two training partners. Practicing the skills learned throughout the class in a spontaneous and unchoreographed manner develops an ability to recognize and react to targets presented by an aggressor’s actions.

Session 13: Clear, Control Counter and Closest Target Drill

17:44

This Session provides techniques for fending off an attack either before accessing a defensive tool or if a defensive tool is not at hand by clearing the line of attack, controlling the attacker’s weapon, and countering with defensive strikes and other means. Once control is gained enough to access a defensive knife, the Closest Weapon to Closest Target drill develops the ability to spontaneously recognize strike points to stop the threat. Following the drills presented in this Session develops the ability to think dynamically and react quickly in the chaos of an attack.